Rise of the Lycans: Shadows And Secrets

Chapter 13 – Mate

Maeve

I shot to my feet, trying to understand the cruel joke Angus was playing on me. My heart pounded, and anger surged through me. I should have known better than to let my guard down around him.

His eyes widened in shock. “Ye didnae know?”

“Thank you for your help this afternoon, Angus, but I’d like to take a warm bath now.”

“Are ye awright?”

“I’m fine, but you’re obviously mistaken.”

“A'm a shifter, wit Alpha blood. A’h know whit a’m scentin.”

“It’s not possible,” I replied, moving to the door. “There’s something wrong with your sniffer.”

“A’h didnae mean tae upset ye.”

“I’m not upset. I’m tired. You haven’t been around fat humans, so maybe we smell different to you.”

He looked at me sympathetically. “Maeve.”

“Goodbye, Angus.”

“Let me help ye.”

“There’s nothing to help with. Thank you, Angus.”

I had practically shoved him out the door, and my mind was reeling. Reaching for my phone, I quickly found Alpha Hamish’s number. If I were a shifter, I would have been able to mind-link him. Instead, I’m a weak, stupid human looking to tattle on Angus.

“Fuck, Maeve… get ahold of yourself,” I muttered to myself, putting the phone down.

Pups were rarely born in packs over the last decade because no one was finding their mates. I wasn’t a shifter. I didn’t have a mate… There’s no way an unmated human could have a pup with a lycan. The fleeting idea was just ridiculous. This was nothing more than a cruel joke at the hands of a Jameson brother.

The copper tub filled, and I slipped into the water, welcoming the warmth. Thunder boomed outside, and the lights flickered around me. The weather outside seemed to echo my mood as memories flooded back to me.

Our teacher, Mrs. Tandy, had called us to line up after lunch before returning to the classroom.

“Did ye see th’ little bird stuck in th’ mud bi th’ swings?” I heard Angus say to Ronan.

“Tis nearly dead,” Ronan laughed. The heartless jerk.

“Did ye hear whit Angus said?” I asked Fiona.

“A’h think he’s lyin,” she whispered.

“Poor birdy,” I nearly cried and slipped out of the line to rescue the helpless creature.

When I reached the swings, all I saw was a large muddy puddle. I moved closer for a better look, hoping the bird had managed to survive. To my relief, there was no sign of a dead bird. Not even a feather.

“Yer a bit mawkit, lassie,” I heard Angus call me dirty before he pushed me into the mud.

Ronan laughed just as I tumbled into the mud. “Yer sae daft,” he continued.

My hand dug into the mud, and before I knew it, I launched a glob of it, hitting him in the chest. “Haud yer wheesht,” I cried out, telling him to shut up.

“Whit’s th’ meanin’ o’ this?” Mrs. Tandy demanded.

“She fell in th’ mud, an Angus wis tryin tae help her up,” Ronan lied.

“Ye pushed me, ye lyin walloper,” I replied.

“MAEVE! Ye'll be cleanin chalkboards after school today. Now gae clean yerself up,” she ordered as they smirked.

I never seem to learn my lesson with them because I keep falling for their stupid tricks over and over again. By the time I got out of the tub, the sun had set, and the water had turned cold. I wrapped a towel in my hair and slipped into a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants before I searched for my wool socks.

Padding into the kitchen, I decided on breakfast for dinner. I sliced some bread, buttered it, and dropped it into a small pan to toast it like my mother used to. Then I buttered another pan and cracked two eggs open. I washed a handful of fresh raspberries and plated them with the eggs and toast.

Moving to the sofa with my plate in hand, the cabin suddenly went dark. Power outages were not uncommon in the Highlands during storm season or heavy Highland winds. I set the plate down and stoked the fire before adding the last of the firewood. A warm glow filled the cabin, and I settled down to eat.

Butter-fried eggs and toast were one of my favorites. There was something extra special about creamy Scottish butter and freshly baked bread that made everything taste so delicious. So, why did I suddenly feel like emptying the contents of my stomach? I hadn’t eaten much today, but I knew it was due to stress… first, Jack, and now Angus.

Curling up on the sofa, I couldn’t stop the tears. I never understood why they hated me so much when I was little. Even now that my parents are gone, they continue to torment me. Fate had placed me in a world of shifters but never allowed me to fit in.

“This world wasn’t meant for you, Maeve,” I told myself.

I belonged here just as much as I belonged with Rex. The idea of having his baby was bitter-sweet… I could never have someone like Rex. He was royal, meant to rule beside his brother, and I was a no one. What had happened between us was never supposed to happen and he had told me himself. It never happened.

A wave of nausea hit me, and I ran for the toilet. My vision clouded with tears, and I retched in the darkness until nothing was left in my stomach. Beads of sweat formed on my skin as I reached for the flush with a trembling hand. This had to be a bug. A virus… or something I caught in the city.

Fumbling in the dark, I rinsed my mouth and washed my face before I returned to the sofa. I didn’t trust myself to climb up the stairs to the loft in case I needed to find the toilet again quickly. A flash of lightning lit up the windows, and a moment later, thunder rumbled overhead. Listening to the storm outside, I pulled the tartan blanket over me and rested my head on the pillow.

My eyelids grew heavy, and sleep sucked me under. Black fog lingered over the loch. It was silent and still until a stampede of white iridescent horses danced through the mist before disappearing into the water without a splash. I heard the sound of a crying baby echo across the water, but couldn’t see anything. The sound of the wailing baby was drowned out by the howling of wolves – wolves that sound too close for comfort.

My eyes shot open to find the fire had been reduced to coals. I reached for my phone, which was nearly dead, to check the time. It was two in the morning. I flipped the light switch, but the power was still out.

A chill in the cabin air reminded me that I needed more firewood. I looked out the window at the woodshed where the stack of dry wood was stored. Regret filled me for not bringing some in earlier today, but the weather had deterred me from going outside. I shoved my feet into my boots and grabbed my phone. It had stopped raining, but the wind was still whipping around. With the flashlight on my cell phone illuminating the way, I moved quickly over the soggy ground to the shed. I lifted the latch and pulled the door open.

“No spiders, no spiders, no spiders,” I chanted, reaching for the first log.

A low growl sounded in the darkness behind me, and I turned with a squeal, dropping the log. To my surprise, a dark brown wolf stood only a few feet behind me. I’d never been afraid of shifters until I discovered I was human. Human and vulnerable.

He continued to sniff the air, and I took a step back into the woodshed. The sound of shifting bones was quick, and a naked male who looked somewhat familiar stood in front of me.

“Maeve,” came his deep brogue.

His hair was sandy brown, and his beard was well-trimmed. He was young and handsome. “Ronan?”

“Ye remember me,” he grinned.

How could I forget, I bitterly thought. He put frogs in my lunch when we were little.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to look below his well-sculpted abs.

“Somethin’ ye like?” His blue eyes darkened, sending a shiver through me. His chest held a big Celtic knot tattoo— the Dara knot.

I narrowed my gaze at him. “I was wondering where you kept your frogs.”

A low chuckle sounded in the back of his throat. “A’h hope ye're nae still angry wit me, Maeve. A’h wis a dunderhead.”

“We finally agree on something.”

“A’h hope thare's more we can agree on.” I caught the way his eyes dropped to my chest, and turned to the firewood.

“I was just getting some wood. Are you on patrol?”

“Nae,” he stepped closer. “A’m nae on patrol.”

I cradled two pieces of wood and reached for another. “Did… Did Alpha Hamish send you to check on me?”

“Nae, lass.” He was standing an arm's length away. “A’h came tae claim ye.”

My arms went limp, and the logs fell to my feet. “To what?” I was sure I heard him wrong.

“Yer unmated, an pups are sae rare these days. Ye’ll need someone strong by yer side,” he told me.

“Excuse me?”

A loud snarl rang out, and we both turned to find a large black and white wolf. Ronan’s fists squeezed tight, and I knew he wasn’t happy with the intrusion. For a moment, I thought it was Alpha Hamish, but then the wolf shifted—another naked male I never liked.

“Jack,” Ronan’s eyes were pitch black, his wolf was on the surface.

“Back aff, Ronan,” Jack snarled.

“A’h wis havin a word wit yer bonnie cousin,” he replied.

The tension was high between the two naked males, and I wanted no part of it. “I was just getting some firewood—”

“Git inside an a'll bring ye some,” Jack told me.

Eager to escape, I rushed toward the open kitchen door. Ronan’s hand shot out, pulling me to him faster than I could comprehend. The heat from his body was welcoming, but the tension in the air made the hair on my arms stand up.

“Dinnae touch her!” Jack growled, challenging Ronan.

“Ye dinnae deserve her, ye bawbag,” Ronan spit the insult at Jack.

I pulled my arm away from Ronan and rushed through the back door, shutting and locking it behind me. Something strange was happening here. I peered out through the kitchen window and wondered if they had both lost their minds.

Was Ronan trying to ask me out? Surely that couldn’t be. He had called me Bonnie … beautiful. Not a fat coo or whale. No one had ever called me Bonnie , except for my father.

I didn’t know Ronan other than the annoying boy who was friends with Angus. He was the boy with the frogs. Ronan had grown into a handsome male who could easily date any gorgeous she-wolf or human he wanted. He’d also look good modeling underwear for Calvin Klein. There was no way he was interested in me. His Scottish brogue was heavy… so there was a good chance I misunderstood him.

I felt a bit dizzy, but I knew it was because I couldn’t keep food down. I filled a glass of water and took a small sip, trying to calm my nerves and my mind.

“Maeve,” I heard a low thumping on the kitchen door as if he was using his foot to knock. “Open th’ door. A’h hae yer wood.”

I stood motionless. I always knew Jack was a ranked wolf of some kind, so I knew he could easily sense me on the other side of the door. A new wave of nausea mixed with anxiety crashed down on me.

“A’h can break th’ door doon.”

The glass slipped from my hand, smashing on the floor. Water and glass shot in different directions, and I barely registered what hadhappened.

“Just a moment,” I called out, reaching for the door.

Jack held a large stack of wood in his arms that would have taken me three trips to the shed to carry back. I wasn’t sure if I should be thankful or worried because he was still naked. Dipping his head down, he entered through the door and moved past me to the fireplace. A chilling blast of wind followed him inside, and I instinctively closed the door.

“C’mere an sit,” he told me as he added wood to the fire.

“I need to clean this glass up,” I turned, reaching for the broom.

“Leave it.” His voice was a command. “Yer nae a shifter, Maeve.”

“I know I’m not a werewolf, Jack,” I snapped. “Believe me, I know I’m not,” I felt myself heating with pent-up frustration. “In fact, if anyone were to listen to you, they might just believe I’m a cursed changeling or something. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

“Come on, Lass. If ye juist get tae know me…”

“I already know you, and I don’t like you,” I spit back before I could stop myself.

His jaw flexed, and I knew I had hit a nerve. My eyes locked with his, and I felt the tension in the air. Another wolf would have sensed it as his strong aura, but a human would describe it as tension. He was nearly as big as Alpha Hamish, and I shoved down the fear that started to creep up in the back of my mind. I was alone with Jack, alone in a cabin far from everyone with a very naked predator.

“Thare arr things ye dae nae understand—” he started to say.

“It’s late, and I’m tired,” I sighed. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?" After I’ve talked to Alpha Hamish.

“A’m nae leavin,” he replied, sending a chill through me. His gaze dropped to my chest, and I was suddenly aware of my hardened nipples from the chill.

My eyes darted to my phone, but it was probably dead. Even if it wasn’t, he’d snatch it before I could dial anyone. I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and silently prayed Ronan would return. I eyed the door, wondering if I could outrun him.

“Dea nae even think aboot it,” he warned.

I took a step back, ignoring his semi-hard erection. Jack was a rugby superstar with international fame. Women lined up for a chance to be with him. Even though I didn’t follow his career, photos of him with different women were plastered all over the internet. It seemed unfair because shifters had natural advantages in sports, but it never stopped them from collecting top dollar and celebrity status in the human world. Persephone’s father always said the most notable people in human history were actually shifters.

“What do you want, Jack?”

“Which Alpha put th’ pup in ye?”

My mouth went dry. “What?”

“Dinnae lie tae me, lass,” he ordered. “A’h hae Alpha blood an can scent th’ pup from here.”

“Yer bum's oot the windae,” I snarked at him with a Scottish accent, telling him he was speaking nonsense. His lips twitched in amusement.

“Maeve—”

“Leave, Jack!” I snapped. “Thank you for bringing the wood in, but I need to clean this glass before anyone steps in it.”

“Ye cannae see in th' dark,” he sighed. “A’h wull dae it.”

“I don’t need your help!”

“Did he reject ye?”

I returned his gaze with all the courage I could summon. My head swayed, and my limbs felt heavy. “I don’t have a mate.”

“Ye dinnae answer th’ question, lass.” His eyes and face told me he knew more than he was telling me. “Daes he know ye ran aff wit his pup?”

“I don’t have to answer anything to you. You’re not my friend or family, Jack Jameson!”

Before I could react, he lunged for me and pulled me tight against his naked body.

“Aye!” He smiled darkly. “A’m nae yer friend or family, Maeve. A’m yer mate.”